After announcing its return to Formula 1 in a dynamic new partnership with Red Bull, Ford teased several “EV performance demonstrators,” including a mystery high-performance electric truck.
Ford CEO Jim Farley gave us a sneak peek of what its special EV performance truck may look like Wednesday that could be a souped-up F-150 Lightning.
Ford teases EV performance truck resembling the Lightning
It’s been over two decades since Ford has participated in Formula 1, but the automaker’s return is about more than racing.
Ford is entering the competition to learn more about electric technology from some of the best as it looks to secure its position in the future of the auto industry.
After ramping up production last year, Ford sold a record 61,575 electric vehicles in 2022, making it the second-largest EV maker in the US, behind only Tesla. However, to close the (significant) gap, Ford needs to build more efficient electric vehicles.
In an interview with Top Gear, Farley said when the company started getting serious about EVs, they realized aerodynamics would be the difference maker, stating:
The battery is so heavy and so expensive that anyone who comes up with the best aero will make that battery smaller which means lower cost and greater affordability. Anyone can make an EV. But if you want to make money on it, you better minimise the size of that battery. To do that you need better aerodynamics than anyone else.
Farley added the automaker made it its mission to recruit the best, and where do you find them? Formula 1.
Ford is collaborating with Red Bull to develop a 350 kW electric motor that will fit the new regulations. The automaker will provide “technical expertise” while the partners explore battery cell and electric motor technology.
Farley says Ford’s return to Formula 1 and collaboration with Red Bull is all about where the automaker is headed, which is increasingly electric, modern vehicles.
From the teased image, you can see Jim Farley lifting the sheet to show Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo the high-performance electric truck. Ford’s special EV performance truck is much lower to the ground than the Lightning, but there are no noticeable aerodynamic changes; perhaps there’s more we are missing under the sheet.
Meanwhile, the other performance EV demonstrators include the Mustang Mach-E 1400 and Ford’s electric Supervan with nearly 2,000 hp.
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